Snow melter



Aug. 28, 1951 T. J. BRYANT I 2,565,539

' snow MELTER Filad Oct. 29, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 11 THQMAS JOHN BRYANT Aug. 28, 1951 T. J. BRYANT 2,565,589

SNOW MELTER Filed Oct. 29, 1949 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 OIL mr y OIL Z8 ::II::-; 4/ M 1 Z1 10 as I 41 4 I INVENLI'OR THOMAS JOHN BRYANT Patented Aug. 28, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SNOW MELT ER' Thomas John Bryant, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application October 29, 1949, Serial No. 124,445 In Canada October 25,1949

My invention appertains to snow melting apparatus and has for an object to provide a snow melter of the portable kind adapted to be carried by a motor truck for street use in order that snow removed from the pavement can be deposited into the melter and reduced to water.

Another object of the invention is to provide a snow melter unit suited to be mounted on a water tank of a conventional flushing vehicle of the automotive type used for flushing of pavements.

Afurther object is to produce aneconomical and serviceable snow melter in which the components can be readily dismantled for inspection and servicing.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists essentially in the novel construction and arrangement of parts as disclosed in the ensuing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the snow melter mounted on a motor truck.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the snow melter omitting the cover from the shell-like body.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the snow melter omitting the motor truck shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a similar cross section but fragmentary in character and on a larger scale to show the of one of the fire tubes belonging to the combus-- tion chamber.

My invention is designed preferably to provide a snow melting unit suited to be mounted on a Water tank Ill of a conventional flushing vehicle of the motor-truck type commonly employed for flushing pavements. Such a motor truck is repre-'.

sented at A, Fig. 1, in broken lines. The water tank has outlets for discharge of water from its bottom portion. In carryin out the present invention the outlets ll may be of any approved kind and are valve-controlled as at I2. The water tank is permanently attached to the frame of the motor truck as by supports l3, and in performing the invention the top wall 14 is cut away 8 Claims. (01. 126-3435) to provide an opening of a substantial size in which a melting tank is inset.

The snow melting unit comprises a body, a melting tank, and a heating unit. Said body is denoted at l5 and consists of a metal shell of box formation having sides, but open at the bottom and top. Said body rests upon the top wall 14 of the water tank I0 and is detachably secured thereto as by the angle plates I6 and bolts l1. Said angle plates are permanently fastened to the water tank as by welding or other approved fastening means. The bolts ll, when removed, enable said body to be detached from the water tank by a lifting motion'to clear the angle plates l6. One advantage of providing for detachment of said body is that it can be taken off a flushing tank as a unit with the other components of the snow meltin unit and then installed on another flushing tank, according to dictates of usage. A removable cover is provided for the body [5. Said cover is a closure plate l9 fitted on the top of the body and supplied with an opening 20, Fig. 4, in register with the mouth of the snow melting tank.

Said melting tank is indicated at 2| and consists of a receptacle having a bottom wall and side walls. The melting tank is substantially smaller than said body and is disposed therein and loosely inset in the opening which is cut in the top wall M of the water tank It]. The side walls of the melting tank are chambered and heat insulated. Snow is deposited in the melting tank. The bottom wall 22 thereof is perforated as at 23 so that as the snow melts the water will drain through the perforations 23 and pass into the water tank It which can be emptied at intervals by means of the outlets II. A divisional wall 24 divides the melting tank into two compartments. At the bottom of each compartment is a perforated strainer plate 25 loosely arranged for removal and spaced above the bottom wall 22 as by depending flanges 26.

The'ends of the melting tank are spaced from the respective'end walls of the body l5 by means of spacers 21, and aredetachably secured to the respective end Walls as by means of headed screws 28 which pass through the intervening spacer. By removing these screws the melting tank is detached from the body l5 for removal, or for removal of the body without disturbing the melting tank.

The heater unit comprises a burner unit and a combustion chamber for each compartment of the melting tank. Each burner unit includes a nozzle 29.which projects through an Opening 30 in the front wall 3| of the body l5 and carries a closure plate 32 for closin this opening. said nozzle is swingable to and away from the opening 30 by means of an arm 33 hinged on an axis 34 and supported on said front wall 3|. The nozzle supplies atomized oil to the combustion chamber and is regulated by a valve 35. Said arm is of a known kind in which there is provided a passage for oil and a passage for air. The oil passage is connected to a pipe 36 which leads to an oil tank 31. The air passage is connected to a pipe line 38 which leads to a compressed-air tank 39. Oil flow from the tank 31 is regulated by a valve 40 at the hinged end of the arm 33. Air flow from the tank 39 is regulated by a valve 4| also at the hinged end of the arm 33.

Desirably, as shown, there is a separate oil storage tank 31 for each burner unit. The compressed-air tank 39 is common to the two burner units. The tanks 31 and 39 are disposed between rear wall 42 of the body l and the melting tank 2|, and the tanks are supported on a ledge 43 in the form of an angle plate held by screw 44, whereby it may be'detached. The oil tanks 31 have usual filling tubes 5. The tank'39 has 'a' nipple 45 for making a connectionwith a'source of air under pressure for replenishing compressed air' from time to time; as usual.

The combustion chamber for each burner unit is formed in part by the front wall 3| of the body i5 and the adjacent side wall 41 of the melting tank. The remainder is supplied by a tubular shell 48 which loosely extends between said front wall3l and said side wall 41 and is closed at its ends by these walls to surround the burner nozzle 29. Within the confines of the shell 48 the side wall t! of the melting tank is supplied with a circular series of holes through each of which a fire tube 49 is loosely inserted. The tubes are of different lengths and the series have their inner ends projecting into the compartment of the melting tank to which the burner unit belongs. The outer ends of the tubes are provided with integral collars 50. A clamp plate 5| is disposed in the shell Q8 and. placedagainst the collar portions of said tubes. The clamp plate 5| 'is fastened to the side wall 4? of the melting tank by a'screw 52 by which pressure is applied to cause the clamp plate to secure the tubes in place. The clamp plate is perforated to provide openings in register with the bores of the individual tubes 49. The inner end of the shell 48 is flanged inwardly as at 59 and the flange is enga'ged by said clamp plate to retain the shell in place;

With this arrangement the shells 48 of the combustion chambers and also the tubes 49 therein are detachable. They can be removed by tak-' ing out the screw 52 by which the clamp plate 5| is secured. This provides for replacing and servicing the tub-es when worn.

It will be understood that a combustible mix ture of oil'and air is discharged into the combustion chambers by nozzle 29 of the burners when the valves 35, 5D anddl are opened. The mixture is ignited in the usual way. The products of combustion flow through the tubes 49 to melt snow deposited in the melting tank. Water from the melted snow gravitates through the holes in the strainers 25 and the bottom wall 22 and is received in the tank In. The advantage of dividingthe melting tank into separate compartments and employing a burner unit for each compartment is that one of the compartments may be kept inuse while the other is being cleaned of accumulated solid matter.

To provide for cleaning the melting tank from time to time there is supplied in each compartment thereof a clean-out opening 54 in the rear wall portion at the level of the strainer 25. The clean-out opening communicates with a free space below the tanks 37 and 39, which space is open to the rear side of the body l5 by means of a slot or slots 55 cut in the rear wall 42. A tray 56 is arranged in said free space to extend lengthwise of said body to form a fioor at the bottom of the clean-out opening and the slot or slots 55. Accordingly, in a cleaning operation solid matter is removed by forcing it through the clean-out opening of a compartment and across the tray to and'through the slot or slots in the rear Wall of the body. Normally the clean-out opening will be closed by a gate 56, which may be latched in place in approved manner. The tray is detachably secured as by screws 5?.

From the preceding description of the specific form'of-the invention shown in the drawings it will be understood that the assembly of the snow melter enables the shell-like body to be detached from the water tank i9 independently of the melting tank. Further, the melting tank can be lifted-up out of the body along with the combustion chambers and the fire tubes. Obvious other advantages flow from the construction and arrangement of the components of the apparatus.

It is intended such changes and modifications of the invention ma be resorted to as fairly come within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a snow melter, a shell-like body having a side wall provided with an opening for a nozzle of an oil burner, a melting tank disposed within said body and having a side wall spaced from said body side wall and provided With a hole therethrough, a firetube loosely disposed in said hole to project into saidmelting tank, said fire tube having an integral collar by which its outer end is shouldered againstthe outer face of said side wall of the melting tank, a clamp plate disposed between said side Walls and having an aperture in register with the bore of said fire tube, fastening means detachably securing said clamp plate against said collar to hold said fire tube in place, and a tubular shell transversely arranged between said side Walls to form a combustion chamber, said shell being disposed to surround said opening in said side wall of the body and said outer end of the fire tube.

2. In a snow melter, a shell-like body having a side wall provided with an opening for a nozzle of an oil burner, a melting tank disposed within said body and having a side wall spaced from said body side wall and provided with holes therethrough, a group of fire tubes freely lodged in said holes to project into said melting tank, said fire tubes having integral collars by which their outer ends are shouldered against the outer face of said side wall of the melting tank, a clamp plate disposed between said side walls and having apertures in register with the bores of said fire tubes, fastening means detachably securing said clamp plateagainst said collars to retain said fire tubes in place, and a tubular shell transversely arranged between'said side walls to form a combustion chamber, said shell being disposed to surround said opening in said side wall of the body and said'outer ends of the fire tubes.

3. In a snow melter, a shell-like body having a body side wall and provided with holes therethrough, a group of fire tubes freely lodged in said holes to project into said melting tank, said fire tubes having integral collars by which their outer ends are shouldered against the outer face of said side wall of the melting tank, a clamp plate disposed between said side walls and having apertures in register with the bores of said fire tubes, a screw fastener detachably securing said clamp plate to said side wall of the melting tank to clamp the collar portions of said fire tubes against said side wall of said melting tank, and a tubular shell transversely arranged between said side walls to form a combustion cham her, said shell being disposed to surround said opening in said side Wall of the body and said collar ends of the fire tubes.

4. A structure as set forth in claim 3, and in which the tubular shell is provided with an internal fiange, and in which the clamp plate has clampin engagement with said flange whereby to secure said shell against said side wall of the melting tank.

5. In a snow melter, a water tank having a top wall cut away to provide an opening, a shell-like body disposed on said top wall, said body having a side wall provided with an opening, means securing said body to said water tank, a melting tank disposed in said body and having a perfo rated bottom wall at said opening in said top wall of the water tank, said melting tank being of a substantially less size than said body to provide a surrounding space, means securing said melting tank to said body, a combustion chamber surrounding said opening in said side wall of the body and disposed between this side wall the adjacent side wall of said melting tank, an oi1- burner nozzle carried by said side wall of the body and projecting into said opening therein, an oil tank and an air tank disposed in said body at the side of said melting tank which is opposite to said combustion chamber, and piping connecting said nozzle to said oil and air tanks.

6. A snow melter as defined in claim 5, and in which the shell-like body is detachably secured to the water tank, and in which the melting tank has end walls spaced from adjacent walls of said shell-like body and detachably secured thereto, the space between an end wall of the melting tank and the adjacent wall of the shell-likebody accommodating the piping which connects the oil-burner nozzle to the oil tank and the air tank.

'7. A snow melter as defined in claim 5, and in which firetubes extend from the combustion chamber and into the melting tank, and in which said fire tubes are detachably mounted on a wall of the melting tank.

8. A snow melter as defined in claim 5, and in which the melting tank is divided into compartments, and in which there is a separate combustion chamber for each compartment.

THOMAS J OHN BRYANT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,117,985 Denemark Nov. 24, 1914 1,349,853 Peden Aug. 1'7, 1920 1,418,630 Grouse June 6, 1922 1,681,104 Earnhardt Aug. 14, 1928 1,912,288 Lundt, et al May 30, 1933 2,364,315 Powell Dec. 5, 1944 2,471,733 Fiduccia May 31, 1949 2,481,199 Gayas Sept. 6, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 74,117 Germany Apr. 2, 1894 

